1zIUK2Y

Razkrita
čudesa reke
BIOTSKA PESTROST DIATOMEJ
POREČJA LJUBLJANICE
KATALOG RAZSTAVE IN KAJ VSE SO
LAHKO DIATOMEJE
The Revealed
River Wonders
THE BIODIVERSITY OF DIATOMS
IN THE LJUBLJANICA RIVER BASIN
A CATALOGUE OF THE EXIBITION AND
WHAT THE DIATOMS CAN BE
1

Razkrita
čudesa reke
BIOTSKA PESTROST DIATOMEJ
POREČJA LJUBLJANICE
KATALOG RAZSTAVE IN KAJ VSE SO
LAHKO DIATOMEJE
The Revealed
River Wonders
THE BIODIVERSITY OF DIATOMS IN THE
LJUBLJANICA RIVER BASIN
A CATALOGUE OF THE EXIBITION AND
WHAT THE DIATOMS CAN BE
Ljubljana, 2014

Pobliže ko opazujemo nek pojav,
bolj zapleten se zdi.
Heinrich Weisskopf
The more closely
a phenomenon is observed,
the more complex it is seen to be.
Heinrich Weisskopf

KREMENASTE
ALGE
(DIATOMEJE) —
NEŽNA BITJA V
VODAH
Drobne kremenaste alge, ki si za svoje domovanje
same gradijo zunanji skelet, lupinice oziroma
hišice iz kremena, živijo v vseh vodnih okoljih
in dosegajo neverjetno pestrost vrst; prek 10.000
različnih vrst poznamo. Naseljujejo skoraj vse
prostorčke rek, jezer in morij, živijo prosto v vodi
kot planktonske alge, pritrjene na rastlinah, kamnih
in prodnikih, na trdnih odpadkih civilizacije;
najdemo jih tudi na muljastih usedlinah.
Diatomeje so začetek mnogih prehranjevalnih
poti v vodah in zelo pomembni proizvajalci kisika
na Zemlji. Kot vse rastline za življenje potrebujejo
svetlobo, zato je zanje najmanj prijazno in najbolj
stresno okolje kalnih rek in jezer, kjer je kalnost v
največji meri povezana z neprimernim človekovim
odnosom do kopnega in vodnega okolja. Nenehna
erozija brežin, neporaslih zemljišč izrazito
negativno vpliva na te vodne prebivalce.
So čudovita mikroskopska bitja, ki nam govorijo
o ekološkem stanju vodnih teles in so zrcalo
našega odnosa do okolja, tako kopnega kakor
tudi vodnega. Zelo hitro odgovorijo na spremembe
v okolju bodisi z zmanjšano številčnostjo, na
žalost pa tudi z izginjanjem vrst. Spremembe rabe
prostora prispevnega vodnega okolja, onesnaževanje
kopna in atmosfere ter posledično vodnih
teles prepoznamo v združbi kremenastih alg
— diatomej.
Kremenaste alge so tudi pomembni zgodovinski
pričevalci, neprecenljiva zgodovinska knjiga. Govorijo
nam o ekološkem stanju v vodah pred tisoči
in milijoni let, v zadnjem času tudi o onesnaževanju
in človekovem odnosu ne le do vodnega,
temveč do okolja nasploh. Njihovi čudoviti
skeleti so torej neme priče človekovih okoljskih
grehov. Z analizami usedlin Ljubljanskega barja
in ostankov hišic diatomej smo dokazali, da se je
na tem območju v preteklosti razprostiralo veliko
plitvo Ljubljansko jezero, domovanje koliščarjev
in bobrov.
Ljubljanica, reka sedmerih imen, mestna aorta,
ki jo vse premalo poznamo in cenimo, poleg
različnih drugih organizmov v svojih vodah skriva
tudi čudovite kremenaste alge — diatomeje.
Čarobni svet teh indikatorjev vodnih okolij zažari
v svoji popolnosti pod mikroskopom, še posebej
pod elektronskim mikroskopom, kar nam kažejo
izjemne mikro–fotografije. Kremenaste stvaritve
burijo domišljijo različnim oblikovalcem, tako
arhitektom kot modnim snovalcem. Morda je
tudi povodni mož dobro poznal te skrite zaklade
Ljubljanice in z nežnimi kremenastimi biserčki
zvabil Urško v svoje domovanje.
Raziskovalci se vedno znova čudimo izjemni
oblikovni pestrosti kremenastih lupinic, ki varujejo
alge pred zunanjim okoljem in so za vsako
vrsto drugačne. Zunanji skelet je oblikovan kot
najlepše ornamentirana šatulja, v kateri hranimo
babičine bisere. Kremenaste alge pa so same po
sebi biseri narave! O tem se lahko prepriča vsak,
ki jih opazuje pod mikroskopom ali gleda na
čudovitih fotografijah.
Diatomeje nam potrjujejo, da je stanje vodnega
okolja marsikje nesprejemljivo, ker je človekov
odnos do okolja preveč mačehovski, ker o okolju
odloča kapital, ker so še vedno premnogi prepričani,
da smo ljudje gospodarji Zemlje. Pa seveda
nismo. Smo le sopotniki mnogih drugih bitij, ki
so manj odvisna od nas kot mi od njih. Tega se
premalo zavedamo. Z Naravo zato nespametno
gospodarimo, z njo upravljamo kot z lastnino.
Vzamemo tisto, kar nam ugaja, in odvržemo
tisto, česar ne potrebujemo. Že slavni oceanograf
Jacques–Yves Cousteau je na svojih oceanskih
ekspedicijah spoznaval, da nas tudi kremenaste
alge opozarjajo na naš neprimeren odnos do
narave, da se njihova vrstna pestrost v morjih
zmanjšuje in da nas zato mora skrbeti za prihodnost
planeta.
Izvir Cemun na Cerkniškem jezeru / Cemun source on Cerknica Lake
4

THE INVISIBLE
BEAUTY OF
DIATOMS
Tiny diatoms create an external skeleton for their
dwelling and protection, a shell or frustule made
of silica. These creatures are incredibly diverse
and can strive in every water environment. More
than 10.000 different species have been identified
so far. Diatoms inhabit even the smallest
living spaces in rivers, lakes and seas; they live
free in the water as plankton algae or attached
to the plants, stones and pebbles. They can even
be found in solid manmade waste and in silt
sediments.
Diatoms form the start of many water food chains
and are extremely important producers of oxygen
on the Earth. Like all plants, they need daylight
for existence; so for them, the least pleasant and
the most stressful environment are muddy rivers
and lakes. Murky and muddy waters are linked
with inappropriate human attitude to the land
and water environment. Continuous erosion of
the river banks with no vegetation has distinctive
negative impacts to these water dwellers.
Diatoms are wondrous microscopic creatures
that are telling us about the ecological status of
water bodies and are the reflection of our attitude
towards the water and land environment. They
quickly respond to the changes in the environment
either with reduced abundance or, even
more alarmingly, with the disappearance of
specific species. Land use changes in the catchment
area, pollution of land, atmosphere, and
consequently water bodies, are reflected in the
community of diatoms.
Diatoms are also important historical witnesses
— an invaluable history book. They are telling us
about ecological status of water bodies thousands
and millions years ago, recently also about the
pollution and human attitude towards the natural
environment. Their marvellous skeletons are
silent witnesses of human environmental sins.
Analysis of sediments in Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana
moors) and the remains of diatom shells
have proved that in this area, a huge shallow
Ljubljana lake was spread in the past, where pile
dwellers and beavers flourished.
Ljubljanica river, also named the “River with
seven names” is an urban aorta not adequately
appreciated today. It offers home for various
organisms, including many species of siliceous
algae — diatoms. A wonderful world of these
indicators of water environment is revealed
under the microscope, especially the scanning
electron microscope. Extraordinary micrographs
document diatoms in their full diversity and
splendour. Siliceous creations excite the imagination
of different artists, from architects to fashion
designers. Maybe the Riverman had known these
secret treasures of Ljubljanica and, with tiny flint
pearls, lured Urška into his secret home.
Researchers are constantly surprised by the
extraordinary form diversity of diatom frustules
which protect algae from impacts of the environment
and are specific for each species. External
skeleton is shaped similar to a beautifully ornamented
case in which grandmother’s pearls are
kept. However, diatoms themselves are the most
beautiful pearls of the nature! One only has to
observe them under a microscope or admire on
wonderful micrographs.
Diatoms confirm that the aquatic environment is
becoming unsuitable in many places due to selfish
human attitude towards the environment. The
power of capital often prevails over the sustainable
use of the environment and too many are still
convinced that the man is the lord of the Earth.
This is far from the truth. We are only the companions
of many other creatures on this planet
that are far less dependent on us than we are on
them. This has to become a part of our awareness
and humans must stop treating the Nature as
our property. We cannot simply exploit it to the
Izvir Pod stenami spomladi / The source Pod stenami in springtime
5

Tako je tudi v rekah in jezerih. Bolj ko so onesnažena,
manj vrst živi v njih, manjša je pestrost oblik,
več je drugih, na onesnaženje bolj tolerantnih
vrst alg in posebej še cianobakterij. Na žalost pa
še vedno prevladuje vse preveč tehnicistični odnos
do vodnih okolij. V reki mnogi vidijo le silo,
ki žene turbine in nam daje električno energijo.
Pravijo, da reka teče v prazno, če je ne pregradimo
in izkoristimo. Spet drugi v vodi vidijo le
dobrino, ki plemeniti kapital polnilcev plastenk
s pitno vodo, zato jo želijo privatizirati tudi tam,
kjer se to še ni zgodilo. Vse bolj pa se krepi tudi
spoznanje, da je to tista dobrina, brez katere tudi
tehnološko superiorne družbe ne bodo mogle
preživeti in se razvijati. Z današnjim stanjem tehnike
res lahko v naravi spremenimo in naredimo
marsikaj; vprašanje pa ni, ali to znamo, pomembnejše
je vprašanje, ali to smemo. Gre torej za
etična in ne za tehnična vprašanja.
K sreči je Ljubljanica še vedno skoraj prijetno
domovanje mnogim vrstam rastlin in živali,
tudi mnogim vrstam kremenastih alg, čeprav
ne vsem vrstam, ki bi v takšni reki lahko živele.
Naša dolžnost je, da življenjske razmere izboljšamo,
da se vrnejo tudi vrste, ki so zaradi našega
neprimernega odnosa do reke izginile. Da bi
se to zgodilo, bi morali rešiti vprašanja divjih
deponij prispevnega območja, vprašanja spiranja
kmetijskih površin v zaledju Ljubljane, obremenjenih
z nevarnimi zaščitnimi sredstvi, vprašanja
vnosa hranilnih in strupenih snovi in v zadnjem
času vse bolj popularna vprašanja vnosa motilcev
endokrinega sistema, poljudno imenovanih hormonski
motilci; le–ti so nas streznili predvsem
zaradi njihovega nepredvidljivega vpliva na ljudi,
predvsem na moško populacijo. Zato je nespametno
razmišljati le o tem, ali je lahko Ljubljanica
kopalna voda, kakšne ekosistemske storitve nam
nudi in ali jo bomo lahko uporabljali za pitno
vodo. Dolgoletnega onesnaževanja reke ne moremo
reševati na hitro. Zavedati se moramo, da
je po vsaki bolezni potrebno okrevanje, in če je
Izvir Pod stenami jeseni / The source Pod stanemi in autumn
bolezen huda, je okrevanje dolgotrajno. Stopnjo
obolelosti reke Ljubljanice nam kažejo tudi
kremenaste alge.
Prepričan sem, da bo reka Ljubljanica s svojo
vidno pa tudi s skrito lepoto lahko razveseljevala
prihajajoče rodove le v primeru, če bomo
zdajšnji rodovi že danes spremenili svoj odnos do
kopna in vode. Mnoge vrste so že danes redke in
ogrožene; lahko jih izgubimo, preden jih sploh
spoznamo. Tudi v Ljubljanici, reki tisočerih diatomejskih
oblik. Korak na poti k boljšemu rečnemu
in diatomejskemu jutri je tudi ta publikacija.
Prof.dr. Mihael J. Toman,
Oddelek za biologijo Biotehniške fakultete
Univerze v Ljubljani
Ljubljana, 2. oktobra 2014
6

limit and throw away what we feel is not needed.
Jacques–Yves Cousteau, the famous oceanographer,
has discovered that diatoms are warning us
against our inappropriate attitude towards nature.
On his oceanic expeditions he has noted a diminishing
pattern of diatom species biodiversity and
for this reason, we should be concerned about the
future of our planet.
A similar situation can be observed in rivers and
lakes. The diatom species abundance is a clear
indicator of pollution level. In polluted freshwater
bodies, the diversity of forms is smaller and
more tolerant species, particularly Cyanobacteria,
are becoming common and abundant. Sadly,
technicistic view to the aquatic environment
is still prevailing today. Many people only see
the river as a source of power driving turbines
providing electricity and regard it as useless if not
dammed and applied to our advantage. Others
are blinded by the profit of bottled water and
strive to privatize it in countries where it is still
in public use. However, the awareness that water
is a natural resource is growing. Without water,
even a technologically superior society will not
be able to survive and develop. With today’s state
of technique we are able to change a lot in nature;
however, it is not a question of knowledge, but of
our right. Now, it is about ethics and not about
techniques.
Luckily, the Ljubljanica river is still a more or
less favourable habitat to many plant and animal
species, including numerous diatoms, although
more could thrive in this river type. It is our duty
to improve the living conditions in the river to
welcome back the species, which have vanished
in the past because of inappropriate attitude. To
allow this to happen we should remove all illegal
dumps in the river catchment area, solve the
problem of leaching from agricultural land burdened
with dangerous biocides, and prevent the
input of nutritional and toxic substances as well
as more and more discussed “endocrine disruptors”
to the water. The latter also have unpredictable
impact on humans, particularly on the
male population. Therefore, it is not wise to think
about the Ljubljanica river only as a potential
bathing water, provider of ecosystem services and
as a source of drinking water. The long–lasting
pollution of the river cannot be solved quickly.
After every illness a recovery is prescribed; and
if the illness is serious also the recovery is long–
lasting. The condition of the Ljubljanica river is
also represented by diatoms.
I am strongly convinced that the Ljubljanica river
with its visible and also invisible beauty will be
able to bring joy to the following generations
only in case today’s generations will change their
attitude to the land and water immediately. There
are many species which are already rare and
endangered; we can easily lose them before fully
understanding their role and impact in the river.
This can happen also in Ljubljanica, the “River
with seven names” and thousands of diatom
forms. A step towards better future of the river
status and diatom populations in Ljubljanica is
also this publication.
Prof. Dr. Mihael J. Toman,
Department of Biology of the Biotechnical Faculty
University of Ljubljana
Ljubljana, the 2 nd of October 2014
7

DIATOMEJE POD
ELEKTRONSKIM
MIKROSKOPOM
Kremenaste alge so velik dejavnik v ekosistemu,
vendar premajhne, da bi jih lahko videli s prostim
očesom. Tudi z najboljšim optičnim mikroskopom
se jim ne približamo dovolj. Vso raznolikost
in bogastvo zapletenih struktur, ki ga skriva
kremenasti skelet teh alg, nam razkrije šele slika,
ki jo prikaže vrstični elektronski mikroskop VEM
ali po tuje »scanning«, elektronski mikroskop
SEM. Brez dvoma je VEM čudovito orodje, ki
pokriva skoraj vse potrebe pri raziskavah površinskih
struktur kremenastih alg.
nikov in filtrov prenaša na zaslon, na katerem
se — točka za točko in vrsta za vrsto — sestavlja
slika preiskovane strukture. Lahko razumemo, da
kvaliteto, ločljivost in sporočilno vrednost slike
določata velikost slikovnih točk in gostota rastra,
po katerem se premika žarek; povečava pa je razmerje
med površino, ki jo elektronski žarek otipa
na preparatu, in površino zaslona, na katerem
nastaja slika. Povedano drugače, povečava pove,
kolikokrat je alga, ki jo opazujemo, manjša od
njene slike na zaslonu.
Sodobni komercialni VEM mikroskopi omogočajo
povečave od približno 10 do 1.000.000–krat
in dosegajo ločljivost do 1nm. Pri tem pa velja,
da dejanska povečava kot tudi realna ločljivost
mikroskopskega posnetka nista odvisni samo od
zmogljivosti mikroskopa, temveč sta v veliki meri
odvisni tudi ali predvsem od kakovosti vzorca in
nekaterih drugih dejavnikov.
Elektronski mikroskop je zajeten in zapleten stroj.
Poleg množice električnih in elektronskih sklopov
vključuje tudi zapleten vakuumski sistem. V
koloni mikroskopa, v kateri je tudi prostor za preparat,
vrsta črpalk vzdržuje podtlak – vakuum, ki
omogoča formiranje in upravljanje elektronskega
snopa. Vzorec, ki ga bomo raziskovali, mora biti
zato obstojen v vakuumu, biti mora odporen tudi
na bombardiranje z elektroni v elektronskem
žarku, predvsem mora imeti čisto površino, kajti
velika povečava razkrije tudi najbolj drobne
packarije.
Slika pri tej vrsti mikroskopa ne nastane naenkrat,
tako kot smo navajeni v vsakdanjem
življenju, temveč postopoma, korak za korakom.
Snop elektronov je usmerjen v točko na površini
preparata. Odklonski sistem mikroskopa
premika (»skenira«) snop elektronov po površini
preparata po vnaprej določenem rastru. Signal,
ki nastane ob zadetku žarka s površino preiskovanega
vzorca, se iz detektorjev preko ojačeval-
dr. Kazimir Drašlar
Vrstični elektronski mikroskop JEOL JSM 7500F na
Oddelku za biologijo Biotehniške fakultete v Ljubljani,
na katerem so nastale mikrografije kremenastih alg za
razstavo na prostem.
The scanning electron microscope JEOL JSM 7500F
in the Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty in
Ljubljana, where the micrographs of diatoms for the
outdoor exhibition published also in this publication were
commencing.
Poenostavljena shema delovanja vrstičnega
elektronskega mikroskopa
A simplified scheme of SEM and its working principle
8

DIATOMS UNDER
THE ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE
Diatoms are a great factor in the ecosystem yet
they are too small to be visible with naked eye.
Even with the best optical microscope, we cannot
come near enough. The whole diversity and
richness of complicated structures hidden in the
siliceous skeleton of these algae could be revealed
only by scanning electron microscope (SEM).
There is no doubt SEM is a wonderful tool
covering almost all the needs that appear in the
research work on surface structures of diatoms.
Modern commercial SEM microscopes enable
magnifications from approximately 10 to
1,000,000 times allowing image resolution to
1 nm. However, it must be stressed that real magnification
as well as real resolution of micrograph
depend not only upon the capacity of the microscope
but to a high degree also upon the sample
quality as well as some other factors.
Electronic microscope is sizable and complicated
machine. Along with a number of electric and
electronic complexes it includes also a complicated
vacuum system. In the microscope column
where is also a chamber for the sample, a series
of pumps is maintaining vacuum which enables
forming and managing of the electron beam. That
fore the sample which we will investigate must be
stable in vacuum, resistant to bombardment with
electrons within electron beam and has to have
a clean surface, while high magnifications reveal
even the finest muck.
In this kind of microscope the image doesn’t
appear at a time like we are used in everyday life,
rather it is appearing gradually, step by step. Electron
beam is focused to a spot in the sample surface.
Microscope tilting system scans the electron
beam in a raster fashion over a rectangular area
of the sample surface. The signal emerging from
the collision of the beam with the surface of the
sample investigated is transmitting from detectors
via electronic amplifiers and filters to the
screen where — point after point and row after
row — the picture of the investigated structure is
constituted. We could understand that the quality,
resolution and communication value of the
image are determined by the size of image points
and by the density of the raster along which the
beam is moving; magnification, however, results
from the ratio of the dimensions of the raster on
the specimen and the raster on the display device.
In other words, magnification tells us, how many
times alga, which we are observing is smaller
from its image on the screen.
Dr. Kazimir Drašlar
9

DIATOMEJE:
KO BISTVO
POSTANE OČEM
VIDNO
Ob vse hitrejšem tehnološkem razvoju človeške
civilizacije, ki v nenehnem hlastanju za še večjo
gospodarsko rastjo izčrpava naravne vire na našem
edinstvenem planetu, postaja varstvo narave
nepogrešljivo področje človekovega delovanja.
Srečujemo ga vsepovsod in v najrazličnejših oblikah;
številne od teh so le sprenevedanje, »okoljska
odgovornost« na papirju ali na spletnih straneh,
v resnici pa lov podjetij in velikih družb za prestižem,
kjer okolje v vsakdanjem besednjaku pač ne
sme manjkati — če je za tem še nekaj »ekoloških
odpustkov« v zameno za tihe obremenitve okolja
in izkoriščanje naravnih virov, smo lahko še
zadovoljni. Pogosto tudi tega ni. Na drugi strani
so redki zanesenjaški posamezniki in nekatere
nevladne nepridobitne organizacije, za katere je
varstvo narave postalo način življenja; takšni z
zavidljivo majhnimi sredstvi opravijo ogromno
delo in pogosto celo naloge, ki bi jih za davkoplačevalski
denar morala opraviti država oz. organi v
njeni sestavi. Največkrat ostanejo takšna dejanja
pri »javnem sektorju« nerazumljena in finančno
še naprej podhranjena, nezanimiva za medije,
njihov pomen in vpliv v javnosti pa ravno zato
težko preverljiv.
Prav dokazovanje in merljivost vpliva pa je za
presojevalce projektov, posebej evropskih, ključnega
pomena. Koliko ljudi je obiskalo razstavo in
kakšna je bila sestava te javnosti, v katerih medijih
so poročali o dogodku, ali je prav ta dogodek
(in ne morda katera druga dejavnost ali kampanja
nacionalnega ali evropskega obsega) vplival na
dvig zavedanja javnosti o pomenu varstva narave
in posebej segmenta, s katerim se dogodek ukvarja,
koliko odstotkov se je to zavedanje dvignilo
in kako se to kaže v ravnanju ciljnih skupin ali
izboljšanju ohranitvenega stanja nekaterih vrst …
Pred temi in takimi vprašanji obupa marsikateri
goreč zagovornik varstva narave — in »popusti
posvetno rabo …« ali pa pregori.
Zakaj nekateri vendarle ne obupamo? Kateri sodoben
energent nas poganja, da še naprej, čeprav
pogosto brez upanja na obzorju, spreminjamo navidez
neuresničljive zamisli v resničnost? Odgovor
je en sam: poganjajo nas fantastične zgodbe,
kakršna je ta o drobcenih kremenastih algah, ki
so postale velike — dovolj velike, da so obsedle
domišljijo ljudi, ki po svetu hodijo z odprtimi
očmi in odprtim srcem. Toda alge niso prerasle
svojih naravnih okvirov kar tako; potreben je bil
srečen splet prijateljstva in razumevanja, izvirnih
zamisli, ki so se kot snežna krogla bogatile, ko so
preskakovale med udeleženci tega ustvarjalnega
procesa.
Zgodba o diatomejah je zgodba, spočeta iz
iskrice, ki se utrne dolgoletnim stanovskim in
pevskim prijateljem v sproščenem klepetu ob
pivu: Kaj je vendar narobe s temi diatomejami, da
jih ljudje ne prepoznajo? Za življenje na planetu
10

DIATOMS:
WHEN ESSENTIAL
BECOMES VISIBLE
TO THE EYE
Along with the even faster technological development
of the human civilisation, continuously
snapping for economic growth, that way depleting
natural resources on our unique planet,
nature conservation is becoming indispensable
field of human activity. We are encountering
it everywhere and in various forms; many of
them are merely hypocrisy, an “environmental
responsibility” of big companies only on paper
or on websites, in reality it is only catching for
prestige. Of course, the environment became “a
must” in everyday vocabulary — if there are some
“ecological indulgences” behind in exchange for
silent environmental burdens and exploitation of
natural resources, we are usually satisfied. Very
often, we lack also these. On the other hand,
there are rare enthusiastic individuals and some
nongovernmental and non–profit organizations
for which nature conservation has become a way
of life; with an enviable small funds, they undergo
tremendous work and often even do the tasks
which should be done by the state or government
bodies for taxpayers’ money. Most of these
actions remain misunderstood and continuously
financially underfed by “public sector”, not interesting
enough for media; therefore their importance
and impact to the public is very difficult to
be verified.
And yet providing of evidences and quantification
of impacts to the evaluators of projects, especially
European ones, is of outmost importance.
How many people did attend the exhibition and
what was the structure of this public, by which
media the event was covered, did this very event
(and not maybe some other national or European
activity or campaign) influence to the rising of
public awareness about the importance of nature
conservation, especially of the topic this event is
dealing with, what was the percentage of rising
of the awareness and how this is expressed in
treatment of the target groups or in improvement
of conservation status of some species … Before
these and similar questions also a passionate
defender of nature conservation loses his heart
— and he eventually leave his work or even burns
out.
Why some of us do not despair? What is the
secret energy source keeping us moving forward,
even if there is often not a glimmer of hope?
How we succeed to change apparently unrealistic
ideas to reality? There is only one answer: we are
inspired by fantastic stories like this one about
tiny diatoms becoming big enough to obsess the
imagination of those people, who are walking
around with their eyes as well as their heart wide
open. However, the algae haven’t overgrow their
natural framework just like that; a lucky web of
friendship and understanding was necessary,
however, also original ideas enriching themselves
like a snowball while jumping between participants
of this creative process.
The story of diatoms is a story, conceived from
the sparkle, when “birds of a feather” that flock
and sing together, for many years hang out in the
evenings having a beer and chatting. What on
earth is wrong with the diatoms that people don’t
recognize them? Producing 40 % of oxygen and
representing a quarter of the entire biomass, they
are indispensable for the life on this planet! They
are essential for the primary production (producing
of the organic substances in the process
of photosynthesis) in water ecosystems and this,
again, is essential for all next levels in the food
web stretching right to the “crown of creation”,
to the human. Moreover, the richness of diatom
forms and beauty of skeleton patterns are beyond
the human imagination. And yet, when talking
about nature conservation, our first thought is
a panda or a whale, among European animals
maybe a bear, wolf, otter, an eagle or horned
owl — in a word, predator animals, that are on
the top of food web. Why they are closer to us?
Because we can easily see them with the naked
11

so nepogrešljive, saj obsegajo kar četrtino vse
biomase na planetu in zagotavljajo kar 40 %
vsega kisika! So bistvene za primarno produkcijo
(pridelovanje organske hrane v procesu
fotosinteze) v vodnih ekosistemih, brez te pa ni
nadaljnjih stopenj v prehranskem spletu, ki sega
vse do »krone stvarstva«, človeka. Povrhu njihovi
kremenasti skeleti po razkošju oblik in lepoti
vzorcev presegajo tudi meje, do koder seže naša
domišljija. A vendarle — ko je govor o varstvu
narave, najprej pomislimo na pando ali kita, med
evropskimi živalmi morda na medveda, volka,
vidro, orla ali uharico, torej živali, ki so po svoji
plenilski vlogi v naravi visoko, največkrat v vrhu
prehranskega spleta. Zakaj so nam te živali bližje?
Zato, ker jih lahko vidimo, morda tudi potipamo,
primerki teh vrst so dovolj veliki in napravijo
močan vtis. Imajo osebno karizmo. Diatomeje
pa so mikroskopsko majhne enocelične alge. Za
ogled teh bitij je včasih tudi svetlobni mikroskop
prešibak, potrebujemo elektronskega, saj merijo
povprečno nekaj deset mikronov, nekatere celo
le nekaj mikronov. Torej so človeškim očem
nevidne. V tem grmu torej tiči zajec, pravzaprav
lisica, ki je Malega princa poučila o skrivnosti, da
je »bistvo očem nevidno«.
Nenadoma je bila rešitev na dlani: naj diatomeje
»padejo v oči«, naredimo jih tako velike, da ne
bodo ušle nobenemu očesu! In smo jih. Povečane
na cel meter (več kot 50.000–krat) so se v vsem
razkošju razprle na velikih slikah ob mestni reki.
Mimobežni Ljubljančani, radovedni turisti in
naključni obiskovalci so si jih z zanimanjem ogledovali
na razstavi, ki smo jo naslovili Razkrita
čudesa reke in podnaslovili Biotska pestrost
diatomej porečja Ljubljanice. Marsikomu je
zastal korak, ko se je prvič »iz oči v oči« srečal s
čipkasto kraljico razstave — Thalassiosiro ali kakšno
drugo »kremenito« lepotico.
Tudi znanega oblikovalca pletenin Tomaža Draža
so diatomeje pritegnile, ko jih je srečeval na
vsakodnevnem mimohodu. Očarale so ga tako
močno, da jih je preprosto moral ujeti v zanke.
Nehote je tako vpletel tudi snovalce razstave in
razširil našo prijateljsko mrežo. S sestro Urško
sta zasnovala izjemno kolekcijo modnih pletenin
DIATOMEA in očarala tudi ocenjevalce ter
ljubitelje mode na modnem tednu v Ljubljani
jeseni 2013. Zatem so se priznanja kar vrstila. Za
popoln vtis se je oblekam, puloverjem in plaščem
pridružila tudi slovenska tovarna čevljev Alpina
in dodala modne športne in usnjene čevlje. Z
vzorcem diatomej, seveda. Navdih, v naravi spleten
iz kremena, je postal izziv v svetu mode.
Tomaž in Urška sta na stežaj odprla vrata diatomejam,
da so smelo zakorakale na modno brv in
med občinstvom zbudile radovedno šepetanje:
Kdo so vendar te nikoli videne lepotice, od kod
so se vzele? Radovednost pa je najboljša učiteljica.
Naravnost iz narave so prišle, iz naših voda, je bil
odgovor. So drobne, toda zelo številčne varuhinje
voda in raznolikosti njihovih živih zakladov —
biodiverzitete. Pripovedujejo nam o svoji reki
sedmerih imen in o njenem razvejanem porečju,
o kraškem podzemnem svetu s Planinsko, Postojnsko
in drugimi jamami, o Cerkniškem jezeru
in Planinskem polju, o številnih izvirih, ponorih
in bruhalnikih, o Ljubljanskem barju na pragu
prestolnice. Naša skrb je, da iz svojih naravnih
bivališč nikoli ne bodo izginile. Po zaslugi oblikovalcev
s pretanjenim čutom za odgovornost do
narave so majcene kremenaste alge to pomembno
sporočilo prinesle tudi v modni svet, v družbeno
okolje, ki mu tega čuta pogosto primanjkuje.
Kadarkoli v zgodbi o diatomejah zapišem mi,
nas, nam, torej prvo osebo množine, ki v današnjih
časih prepogosto le zamegljuje odgovornost
posameznikov, imam v mislih vse posameznike,
brez katerih te zgodbe ne bi bilo: Gorazda in
podpisano vodjo projekta, ki sva neutrudno besedovala,
ali je pomembnejša vidra ali diatomeje —
rezultat dvoboja držite v rokah; Mikca, ki je dolge
12

Revealed River Wonders and subtitled The
biodiversity of diatoms in the Ljubljanica River
basin. The step of many passersby has stopped
when they first looked face to face at the lace–like
queen of the exhibition — Thalassiosira or some
other “flinty beauty”.
eye, maybe we can touch them, individuals are
big enough and they make a strong impression.
They have a personal charisma. Diatoms, on the
other hand, are microscopic unicellular creatures
measuring some few tens of microns or
even less. For observing them, we need not only
light but even electronic microscope. To human
eye they are invisible. And that’s the crux of the
matter, however, the matter being the fox who
has thought the Little Prince the secret: “What is
essential is invisible to the eye.”
Suddenly, the solution was evident: Let’s enlarge
the diatoms and make them so big that nobody’s
eye will be able to miss them! And we did it.
Enlarged to the size of one meter (more then
50.000–times) the gorgeous diatoms have occupied
the large exhibition panels along the urban
river Ljubljanica. The citizens, curious tourists
as well as random visitors passing by were very
interested in viewing the exhibition titled The
Also Tomaž Draž, the well–known designer of
the knitwear was attracted by diatoms, meeting
them when he was walking along the riverbank
every day. He was fascinated by their patterns so
much that simply he had to “catch” them into the
stitches. Unintentionally, he interweaved also the
exhibition’s project team and that way widened
our network of friendship. With his sister Urška
they have designed an exceptional fashion
line of knitwear called DIATOMEA and with
it, absolutely fascinated the jury as well as the
fashion fans in the autumn 2013 “Fashion week”
Ljubljana. After this, more awards have followed.
Rounding up the impression of knitted dresses,
sweaters and coats, stylish sport and leather shoes
— covered with diatom patterns, of course —
were added by Slovenian footwear factory Alpina.
The inspiration, in nature knitted from the silica,
became the challenge in the world of fashion.
Tomaž and Urška opened the door to the diatoms
widely and tiny algae have stepped to the runway
bravely, arousing curious whispering between the
public: Who are these beauties never seen before,
where did they come from? Curiosity, however,
is the best teacher. They came straight from the
nature, out from our waters, was the answer.
They are tiny but very numerous guardians of
the waters and their biodiversity. These beauties
are telling us about their “River with seven
names” and its branching river basin; about
the karst underground world with its caves like
Planinska, Postojnska and many others, about
the karst fields (polje) Planina and Cerknica,
about numerous springs, sinks and vent–holes,
about Ljubljansko barje (Ljubljana moors) on the
13

ure presedel ob »skenu« (vrstičnem elektronskem
mikroskopu) in po Gorazdovem izboru potrpežljivo
snemal zahtevne mikrografije diatomej;
Zvoneta, ki je grafično obdelal vsako mikrografijo
posebej, da je skorajda izstopila iz slike; Mitjo,
ki je poskrbel za tisk panojev; Samota, ki je s
kamero zabeležil razstavo in njeno odprtje; Marto
iz Prlekije, ki je za ta dogodek napekla domače
dobrote in jih s pletenkami vred pripeljala v
prestolnico; Tamaro Lah, direktorico NIB, ki je
v prvem trenutku razumela in podprla zamisel o
sodelovanju; Barbaro Vajda, takratno direktorico
Turizma Ljubljana, ki je ponudila brezplačen
razstavni prostor na Krakovskem nasipu ob Ljubljanici.
Posebno mesto ambasadorjev kremenaste
zgodbe zaslužita Urška in Tomaž Draž, ki sta
diatomeje prvič pripeljala v svet mode. Nikogar
ne bi smela omeniti na koncu, pa vendarle je bila
ekipa Inštituta LUTRA — Tatjana, Marjetka,
Petra, Igor, Tomaž — kot vedno nepogrešljiva in
pripravljena na vse izzive.
Za podvig, kakršen je razstava in pripaden
katalog, je potrebna tudi institucionalna podpora.
Mestna občina Ljubljana je spoznala, da bo
pričujoča publikacija verodostojen dokument
razstave in jo je podprla. Ne nazadnje je tu
evropski finančni mehanizem LIFE+, ki je skozi
projekt LIFE AQUAVIVA — Živa voda od biodiverzitete
do pipe ob prispevku Evropske komisije,
Ministrstva za okolje in prostor RS ter Holdinga
Slovenske elektrarne oživil tako razstavo kot njen
zapis.
Nihče med nami ne more izračunati, koliko ur je
resnično porabil za to zgodbo; nismo šteli, koliko
telefonskih klicev smo opravili in ne, koliko elektronskih
sporočil odposlali; tudi slovenskih pesmi
in vrčkov piva, ob katerih so se kresale zamisli, ne
bomo nikoli prešteli. Zanesljivo pa je, da smo ob
zaključku zgodbe o kremenastih algah vsi bogatejši
— za znanje, za izkušnje, za prijateljske vezi,
za ustvarjanje, ki povezuje in pelje vedno novim
Smaragdni izvir Cerkniškega jezera je pokril prvi sneg. / The emerald source of Cerknica Lake covered by first snow.
odkritjem naproti. Prepričani smo, da bo zgodba
o diatomejah rastla še naprej in nas še bogatila.
V širni svet pa bo še naprej nosila spoznanje o
pomenu ohranjanja naravnih voda in njihovih
drobnih, a za življenje nepogrešljivih prebivalcev.
Vsem iskrena hvala.
Marjana Hönigsfeld Adamič,
koordinatorka projekta LIFE AQUAVIVA
14

Whenever in the story of diatoms it is written
we, us, ours or other plural form it means all
the individuals involved; without them, as they
follow, this story would never appear: Gorazd
and the undersigned project coordinator — we
have discussed about the prevailing importance
of the otter and diatoms almost till we dropped
(the result of the discussion you are now holding
in your hands); Mikec who have spent hours and
hours along the SEM (a scanning electron microscope)
scanning the demanding diatom samples
according to Gorazd’s assortment very patiently;
Zvone who has treated graphically every micrographic
image to perfection; Mitja who has taken
care of the printing of panels; Samo who, with
his camera, has taken film notes of the exhibition
and its opening; Marta from Prlekija who, for this
particular event, baked a lot of delicious things
and, together with house wine, has brought all
the homemade goodies to Ljubljana; Tamara Lah,
the Director of National Institute of Biology who
from the first moment understood and supported
the idea of cooperation; Barbara Vajda, the then
Director of Ljubljana Tourism offering us the
exhibition site on Krakovski nasip along Ljubljanica
River free of charge. Special positions of
the ambassadors of the flint–stone story deserve
Urška and Tomaž Draž who had for first time
brought the diatoms to the fashion world. Last
but not least, the team of the Institute LUTRA —
Tatjana, Marjetka, Petra, Igor, Tomaž — as always
was indispensable and prepared to all challenges.
discoveries. We are convinced that the story of
diatoms will grow even further and will make us
even richer. And it will spread the message about
the importance of conservation of natural waters
and their tiny, for the life indispensable inhabitants,
all over the world.
Sincere thanks to all of you.
Marjana Hönigsfeld Adamič,
The coordinator of the project LIFE AQUAVIVA
Na Krakovskem nasipu so diatomeje kraljevale dva pomladna
meseca leta 2013. Upamo in želimo, da bodo v bližnji reki
sedmerih imen kraljevale še mnogo dlje. / Diatoms have ruled
the banks of the river two months in the spring 2013. We sincerely
hope and wish they will hold rule over the River with seven names
much longer.
capital’s doorstep. It should be our concern they
will never vanish in their natural habitats. Thanks
to the designers with subtle sense of responsibility
for the nature, tiny diatoms have brought this
important message to the fashion world, thus to
the social environment where this sense is often
missing.
For the achievement such is the exhibition and
the belonging catalogue, also an institutional support
is needed. Municipality of Ljubljana believes
this publication will be a reliable document and
therefore supported it. There is also a contribution
of European financial mechanism LIFE+,
which through the project LIFE AQUAVIVA —
Live Water from Biodiversity to the Tap along
with co–financial support of Ministry of Environment
and Spatial Planning of the Republic of
Slovenia and HSE d.o.o., the exhibition and its
record has made alive.
Nobody of participants is able to count up how
many hours were spent for realization of this
story; we haven’t counted the phone calls neither
electronic messages sent; also we will never be
able to count Slovenian songs and mugs of beer
when ideas were sparking around. However,
there is no doubt that in the end of the diatom
story we all become richer — for the knowledge,
for the experiences, for the friendship, for fruitful
creation which connects and leads toward new
15

DIATOMEJE,
UJETE V ZANKE
PLETENIN DRAŽ
Mesta si bolj ali manj zapomnimo po njihovih
skritih zakladih ali po najbolj izpostavljenih
turističnih znamenitostih, po naravnih lepotah in
kulturi, ki jo ponujajo, po parkih, sprehajališčih,
gostilnah, arhitekturi, razstavah, glasbi, gledališču
in modi.
Publikacija Razkrita čudesa reke nam na
svojevrsten in sodoben način predstavlja skrite
lepote življenja v našem mestu Ljubljani. V globinah
Ljubljanice, ki mirno teče pod najbolj znano
ljubljansko znamenitostjo, Tromostovjem, sobiva
čarobni svet mikroskopsko drobnih rečnih alg
diatomej, ki sta ga oblikovalca Urška in Tomaž
Draž ujela v zanke pletenin.
Pletenine Draž so prepoznavni modni simbol
Ljubljane. V njihovo trgovino, ki je od leta 1999
na Gornjem trgu 9, z enakim žarom prihajajo občudovalci
pletenin iz vse Slovenije kot svetovno
znani obiskovalci. Urbana legenda pravi, da je potem,
ko je njihovo krilo videla na svoji maskerki,
k Draževim popolnoma sama in nenapovedana
prišla igralka Andy McDowel, kupila tri kose
pletenin in odšla brez kakršnegakoli pompa.
Z lastnim izrazom, prepoznavnim avtorskim slogom
in obrtniškim perfekcionizmom sta Urška
in Tomaž začrtala povsem nove smernice razvoja
modnih pletenin.
Tandem Tomaž & Urška Draž
Vodilo Pletenin Draž je eksperimentiranje,
raziskovanje in uporaba sodobnih tehnologij, s
katerimi so razvili številne inovacije, samosvoje
avtorske teksture in načine sestavljanja pletenin,
ki danes niso le temelj in jasen razpoznavni znak
njihove blagovne znamke, ampak tudi simbol
slovenskih pletenin v svetu mode. Vizija Pletenin
Draž je, da ne sledijo trendom, marveč jih ustvarjajo
skozi lepa, a udobna, unikatna in praktična,
ekstravagantna, nosljiva in predvsem vsestranska
ter brezčasna oblačila. Z najmanj desetletno
življenjsko dobo oblačila, ki jo Draž pletenine
dosežejo s kakovostjo ter obnovo in reciklažo izdelka,
so njihove pletenine eden redkih trajnostnih
modnih izdelkov domače proizvodnje.
Urška in Tomaž Draž iz leta v leto uresničujeta
fantastične oblikovalske zamisli. Ena zadnjih
je oživitev mikroskopsko drobnih alg skozi
strukture pletenin v kolekciji oblačil za pomlad–
poletje 2014 z imenom Diatomea, ki je nastala v
sodelovanju z neprofitno organizacijo LUTRA,
Inštitutom za ohranjanje naravne dediščine in
Nacionalnim inštitutom za biologijo. Z inovativnimi
tehnologijami pletenja, predvsem z uporabo
žakardskih pletenin, sta mikroskopske slike
diatomej prenesla na oblačila. Alge, ki vizualno
spominjajo na pletene organske tridimenzionalne
čipke, so postale vir umetniškega navdiha
in oživele v različnih oblikah in kombinacijah
na oblačilih iz viskoze in bombaža. Glede na
želeni učinek, volumen ali padec teksture sta
Urška in Tomaž pustila vzorcem, da si vsak sam
izbere barvo in ponudi rešitev oziroma idejo
za silhueto, v kateri se bosta ženska ali moški
počutila svobodno, udobno in lepo. Kolekcijo sta
dopolnila s supergami iz pletene čipke, povzete
po diatomejskem vzorcu, ki jih je posebej
za Draž izdelal največji slovenski proizvajalec
športne butve Alpina in sta jih oblikovalca drzno
16

DIATOMS,
LOOPED INTO
DRAŽ KNITWEAR
We remember cities by their hidden treasures, we
are always so eager to find, or by their well known
tourist attractions, natural beauties and architecture
these cities have to offer. We remember
the restaurants, music, art, exhibitions, parks,
theaters and fashion.
On its very own and modern way, the publication
Revealed River Wanders introduces us to a
hidden life of our Ljubljana city. In the depths of
Ljubljanica river, which peacefully flows under
the well known Triple Bridge, lies a magical
world of microscopic small diatom algae which
was caught in the loops of knitwear by the two
designers, Urška and Tomaž Draž.
Draž knitwear is a very recognizable fashion symbol
of Ljubljana. Anyone who admires beautiful
knitwear loves to visit their store, from the year
1999 located in a lovely old part of Ljubljana,
Gornji trg 9. It is also said that the actress Andy
Mcdowel saw one of their unique skirts on her
make–up artist, went unannounced to visit the
store and immediately bought three pieces of
clothing.
With their own expression, recognizable author
style and perfectionism in handcraft Urška and
Tomaž outlined entirely new guidelines of fashion
knitwear.
The guidance of Draž knitwear is experimenting,
research and use of new technologies, thus developing
numerous innovations, unique original
textures and ways of combining knitwear; all
these today is not only their ground and clearly
recognizable fashion brand but also the symbol of
Slovenian knitwear in fashion world. The vision
of Draž knitwear is not about following latest
fashion trends, it’s more about creating trends
through timeless, versatile and unique, though
wearable and comfortable clothing. With making,
remaking and recycling of clothes as well as with
high quality, their fashion knitwear became one
of the most sustainable among local productions,
its life–cycle lasting at least ten years.
Every year, Urška and Tomaž Draž bring fantastic
design ideas to reality. For the spring–summer
2014 collection named DIATOMEA, they found
an inspiration in the microscopic diatom algae.
The collection was made in the collaboration
with nonprofit organization LUTRA, Institute
for Conservation of Natural Heritage and with
National Institute of Biology.
With innovative knitting technologies and using
jacquard knitwear, they transmitted the micrographs
of diatoms onto clothing. These diatoms
looking very much like three–dimensional
knitted lace, came alive onto their clothing made
out of materials such as viscose and cotton. With
different patterns and colors, they have designed
a brilliant collection, made for women as for men
to feel free, stylish and comfortable.
They complete the collection with sneakers, also
made out of the knitted lace, inspired by diatoms.
These sneakers have been made by Slovenian
biggest shoe manufacturer, Alpina. They’ve
matched them with elegant evening gowns and
definitely succeeded in breaking taboo that an
evening gown needs to be worn with high heels.
In next years, we will admire diatoms not only on
daily street cloths but also on evening gown and
wedding dress.
After the Slovenian Fashion Week’s premiere in
Ljubljana, the Diatomea collection has been on
its victory march. As the chosen collection of
this Fashion Week, it was also represented on a
35 th Belgrade’s Fashion Week as a part of Zona
45 project, where only the region’s best designers
are shown. Samples of the Diatomea collection
based on the structure of diatom shells with their
abstract organic motifs, distinctive “hi–tech”
appearance and new conceptual solutions have
brought to Draž tandem the Trend 2013 award,
for fashion and visual creativity. In the same year,
they also won a very flattering Elle’s designer of the
year 2013 title and have proved that science and
fashion can easily go hand in hand. Last achievement
of the Diatomea collection is a nomination
for Elle style awards in a fashion collaboration category,
for successful joining hands with Alpina.
The boutique collection of “diatom” sneakers is
also on sale in selected Alpina’s stores.
Although the life of these microscopic diatoms
somewhere is endangered by the water pollution,
we must be aware of the fact that they are very
important for survival of many other organisms.
Similarly, knitting as a traditional Slovenian craft
is also endangered in our country, even though it
used to be the main income for many Slovenian
families, at the same time bringing joy to people
with its beauty and warmth. The story of diatoms,
looped into the Draž’s knitwear is a story about
hidden treasures and a story about survival of
endangered species as well as traditional arts and
crafts.
This publication will hopefully bring this story
closer to the broader publics.
Sanja Grcić, B.Sc. engineer of design
President of the Society for modern Slovenian
design of textiles and clothing SOTO
17

in novimi konceptualnimi rešitvami prinesle
tandemu Draž nagrado Trend 2013 za modno
in vizualno ustvarjalnost. V istem letu je Studio
Draž osvojil tudi laskavi naziv Elle oblikovalec
leta 2013 in dokazal, da se znanost in popkultura
lahko srečata in si brez sramu podata roko. Zadnji
dosežek kolekcije Diatomea je nominacija za
Elle Style Awards v kategoriji modno sodelovanje,
in sicer za izjemen uspeh kolekcije superg v sodelovanju
z Alpino. »Butična« serija superg je prišla
tudi na police izbranih Alpininih prodajaln.
Čeprav je življenje diatomej, teh mikroskopsko
majhnih kremenastih alg, zaradi onesnaževanja
voda ponekod ogroženo, so ta drobna bitjeca že
milijone let pomembna za preživetje številnih
drugih organizmov. Podobno so pletenine kot
tradicionalna slovenska obrt iz našega prostora
skoraj izginile, čeprav so včasih omogočale preživetje
številnim družinam, s svojo toploto in lepoto
pa so razveseljevale množice. Zgodba diatomej,
ujetih v zanke pletenin Draž, je zgodba o skritih
zakladih ter preživetju življenjsko ogroženih vrst
in tradicionalnih poklicev. Pričujoča publikacija
bo to zgodbo približala tudi širši javnosti.
kombinirala z večernimi oblekami. Uspelo jima
je podreti tabu, da pletena obleka ne more biti
svečana ali poročna, in uveljavljeni stereotip, da
večerna obleka nujno potrebuje visoke pete. Tako
bomo v naslednjih letih diatomeje občudovali ne
samo na dnevnih uličnih oblačilih, ampak tudi na
večernih in poročnih oblekah.
Sanja Grcić, dipl. ing. oblikovanja
Predsednica Društva za sodobno slovensko oblikovanje
tekstilij in oblačil SOTO
Kolekcija Diatomea je po premieri na Slovenskem
tednu mode v Ljubljani nadaljevala svojo
zmagovalno pot. Kot izbrana kolekcija slovenskega
tedna mode je bila v sklopu projekta Zona
45 predstavljena na 35. tednu mode v Beogradu,
na katerem se predstavljajo najboljši oblikovalci
regije. Vzorci kolekcije Diatomea, ki temeljijo na
strukturi kremenastih alg, so s svojo abstraktno
organsko motiviko, izrazitim »hi–tech« videzom
18

20
40 %

40 % kisika, ki ga pravkar
vdihavate, pridelajo
mikroskopsko drobne
alge — diatomeje.
About 40% of the oxygen
you are breathing this very
moment is produced by
tiny algae — diatoms.
21

Diatomeje so posebna skupina
mikroskopsko majhnih alg; večino
vrst merimo s tisočinkami milimetra
(mikroni), le redke velikanke
dosežejo pol milimetra. Čeprav
jih s prostim očesom ne vidimo,
so izjemno pomembni organizmi.
Majhnost nadomeščajo z množičnostjo
in neverjetno vrstno
pestrostjo. Na cm 2 rečnega dna jih
lahko živi več kot milijon.
Diatoms are special group of microscopic
algae. The majority of species
are measured with thousandths
of millimetre (microns); only rare
giants reach half of millimetre.
Although invisible with the naked
eye, they are exceptionally important
organisms. Their smallness is compensated
with mass and unbelievable
species diversity. More than million
diatoms could live on one square
centimetre.
100µm
Raznolikost diatomej v vzorcu iz reke / Diversity of diatoms in the river sample
22

Ljubljanica na Barju / Ljubljanica River in Ljubljana moors
23

Alge. Je to sluzasta obloga rečnega
dna? Je poletno »cvetenje« jezera ali
morja? So alge hrana in celo gorivo
prihodnosti?
Vse to so alge — in še mnogo več.
Kar 40 % kisika, ki ga pravkar
vdihavate, pridelajo mikroskopsko
drobne alge — diatomeje. Da bi
opozorili na njihov neprecenljiv
pomen za življenje na planetu, smo
z elektronskim mikroskopom ta
čudesa narave močno povečali:
enocelična alga, velika le 20 milijonink
metra, zdaj meri cel meter!
Algae. Is this slimy lining of a
river-bed? Is it summer “blossoming”
of a lake or sea? Do we think of
algae as food or even bio–fuel of the
future?
All these are algae– and many
more. About 40% of the oxygen you
are breathing this very moment is
produced by tiny algae — diatoms.
To point out their invaluable significance
for the life on planet Earth we
used electron microscope to magnify
these wonders of nature: unicellular
alga of only 20 microns is measuring
the whole meter now!
10µm
Razne Diatomeje, detajl / Detail of various Diatoms
24

Značilnost diatomej je trdno
ogrodje, zgrajeno iz kremenjaka.
Zato so dobile ime kremenaste
alge. Miniaturne umetnine narave
z raznolikimi ornamenti pri nekaterih
vrstah spominjajo na okrogel
čipkast prtiček, pri drugih na domiselno
okrašeno šatuljo — škatlico s
pokrovom. To sta dve veliki skupini
diatomej.
The characteristic of diatoms is a
firm skeleton — frustules composed
of silica. Highly ornamented miniature
nature works of art in some species
resembles a round lace, in others
a fancy decorated case with a cover,
thus forming two major groups
recognized as centric and pennate
diatoms, respectively.
1µm
Cyclotella sp.
26

Diatomeje ali kremenaste alge živijo
v vsakovrstnem vodnem okolju:
oceanih in morjih, rekah in potokih,
jezerih in izvirih, močvirjih in
barjih. Celo na mahovih in na drevesni
skorji je dovolj vlage za življenje
teh drobcenih bitij! Pestrejše
je vodno okolje, več vrst alg lahko
najdemo.
Diatomeje so pomemben kazalnik
kakovosti vodnega okolja, zato
vrstni sestav in številčnost alg uporabljamo
za spremljanje ekološkega
stanja rek in jezer.
Diatoms live in all kinds of aquatic
habitats: oceans and seas, rivers and
brooks, lakes and springs, marshes
and moors. Even on mosses and tree
bark there is enough of water for
these tiny creatures to live! The more
diverse aquatic environments are,
the more algae species they support.
Diatoms are very important indicators
of aquatic environment. As a
result, diatoms are used extensively
in environmental assessments and
monitoring of ecological state of rivers
and lakes.
1µm
Cocconeis placentula + Achnanthes sp.
28

Nekatere diatomeje prosto lebdijo
v vodi. Trni in podobni kremenasti
izrastki preprečujejo, da ne
potonejo. Nekatere pa so razvile
drugačno strategijo: povezujejo se
v plavajoče kolonije in se družno
upirajo težnosti.
Največ kremenastih alg pa raste na
različnih površinah — prodnikih,
skalah in vodnih rastlinah. S primerno
obokano »škatlico« se alge
lepo prilegajo steblu; druge vrste
imajo svoje stebelce, s katerim so
pritrjene na površino. Vse zato, da
jih vodni tok ne odnese.
Some diatoms float freely in the
water. Spines and similar silica structures
prevent them from sinking.
Others have developed a different
strategy: they resist gravitation in
groups by forming floating colonies.
The majority of diatoms grow
attached to different surfaces: pebble–stones,
rocks and aquatic plants.
With suitably arched frustules some
species fit nicely to a stem; other species
form a stalk which is attached
to a surface. All this is used to resist
water currents.
10µm
Melosira varians
30

Kremenaste alge vsebujejo klorofil,
ki ob sodelovanju sončne svetlobe
omogoča nastajanje organske snovi,
s katero se hranijo vodni mikroorganizmi
in žuželčje ličinke. Množice
diatomej so pravi »podvodni
travniki«, kjer se začenjajo prehranske
verige in se nadgrajujejo v
splete.
Diatomeje vežejo kar četrtino globalnega
ogljika!
Diatoms contain chlorophyll, which
gains energy from the sun and enables
production of organic substances
— the major food source for aquatic
microorganisms and insect larvae.
The diatom masses are true “grass of
the sea” where food chains are starting
and upgrading to food webs.
It is estimated that a quarter of
global carbon is fixed by diatoms.
1µm
Amphora sp.
32

Koliko vrst diatomej živi na planetu?
Ne vemo. Morda milijon ali
dva, doslej pa je znanih več kot
deset tisoč morskih in sladkovodnih
vrst. Toda znanstveniki se
še sprašujejo, kaj sploh je vrsta
diatomeje, saj je šele elektronski
mikroskop omogočil vpogled v
drobne strukture njihovih kremenastih
ogrodij, značilnih za posamezne
vrste.
Vsak dan opisujejo nove oblike,
nove strukture in podrobnosti —
in zato nove vrste.
How many diatom species live on
our planet? The truth is we don’t
know. It may be one or two millions;
till now, about ten thousands
of salt– and freshwater species are
known. Scientists are still trying to
understand what a diatom species
is, as only electronic microscopy has
enabled the insight into tiny structures
of silica frustules characteristic
for single species.
Every day, new forms, structures
and details are discovered — therefore
also new diatom species.
1µm
Amphora sp. (detajl)
34

Diatomeje so svetovljanke, zato
težko govorimo o ogroženosti vrst
ali skupin.
Toda previdno! Posamezne vrste
žive le v določenih vodnih habitatih.
Če jih prizadenemo, onesnažimo
ali uničimo, izginejo tudi
zanje značilne drobcene alge. In
kisika je manj!
Zato je vrstni sestav skupaj s pogostostjo
vrst kremenastih alg uveljavljen
kazalnik kakovosti in zdravja
vodnega okolja.
Diatoms are cosmopolites; therefore
it is very difficult to talk about
endangered species or groups.
But with caution! Single species only
live in specific aquatic habitats. If
degraded, polluted or destroyed, also
the tiny algae characteristic for these
habitats will disappear. This would
be a loss of oxygen!
Therefore, the structure of algae
community along with species frequency
is an important indicator
of quality and health of aquatic
environment.
1µm
Thalassiosira weissflogii
36

Kremenasta ogrodja diatomej se ne
razgradijo, temveč se nalagajo na
dno morij in jezer.
Diatomejske usedline, v katerih so
ohranjene mikroskopsko majhne
»škatlice«, so za znanstvenike
odprta knjiga o okoljskih razmerah,
značilnih za določene zemeljske
dobe.
Za branje in razlago pa je potrebno
veliko znanja različnih strok.
The diatom silica cell walls do not
decompose rather they deposit in the
bottoms of oceans and lakes.
In diatom sediments the microscopic
“cases” are preserved and are as an
“open book” available to scientists of
different fields to read about environmental
characteristics of particular
historical periods.
1µm
Thalassiosira weissflogii (detajl)
38

Geografska in krajinska pestrost
Slovenije odseva tudi v veliki
raznolikosti vodnih ekosistemov, s
tem pa tudi v biotski pestrosti alg.
Kremenaste alge najdemo v izvirih,
hudournikih, visokogorskih in
ledeniških jezerih, na barjih in v
presihajočih jezerih, mrtvicah, mlakah,
močvirjih in celo v termalnih
vrelcih.
The geographic and landscape diversity
of Slovenia reflects in the vast
variety of aquatic ecosystems and
thus in biodiversity of algae. Diatoms
are found in freshwater springs,
torrents, in mountain and glacier
lakes, on moors, in periodic lakes,
oxbow lakes, pools, marshes and
even in thermal springs.
1µm
Cyclotella ocellata
40

Za ohranjanje vrstne pestrosti
kremenastih alg je pomembno
ohranjanje raznolikih vodnih habitatov
in preprečevanje njihovega
onesnaženja.
Vendar človek vse globlje posega v
naravne vire, predvsem vodne, zato
je večina že na takšen ali drugačen
način prizadeta.
Skupaj z vodnimi habitati pa so
ogrožene tudi alge, ki tam žive.
Spremembe njihovih združb nas
neusmiljeno opominjajo na naše
neodgovorno ravnanje z vodami.
For the protection of diatom biodiversity
it is important to maintain
diverse aquatic habitats as well as
preventing their pollution.
However, human interfere more and
more with natural, especially water
resources. The majority of water
habitats are one or another way
degraded and modified.
Along with water habitats, also algae
living there are endangered. Changes
in their communities remind us
ruthless to our irresponsible behaviour
toward waters.
1µm
Cymbella silesiaca
42

Kaj pomeni regulacija vodotoka
za tamkajšnjo življenjsko združbo
diatomej?
Spremenijo se snovne ekološke
razmere, kot so količina svetlobe,
hitrost vodnega toka, substrat in
obrežja, s tem pa sestav vodnih
rastlin in živali, tudi alg.
Večinoma vrstna pestrost diatomej
upade, poveča pa se številčnost
posameznih vrst, ki se lažje prilagajajo
spremembam.
What does regulation of watercourse
mean for the local community of
diatoms?
A lot of changes occur in basic ecological
parameters, such as quantity
of light, the speed of water current,
substratum and water banks. Consequently,
the composition of aqua–
tic species of plants and animals
changes, including algae.
Mainly, species biodiversity of diatoms
decreases; while the abundance
of single, more adaptable species
increases.
1µm
Cymatopleura solea
44

Človekovi posegi v naravne vode,
kot so regulacije ali onesnaževanje,
niso vedno nepopravljivi.
Če nekatere vrste zaradi prizadetosti
življenjskega okolja izginejo,
se z obnovo ekosistema lahko tudi
vrnejo.
Tudi v novo nastalih ekosistemih,
kot so gramoznice, akumulacijska
jezera, delno izsušena močvirja in
revitalizirani vodni ekosistemi, se
najprej naselijo drobne alge – in
utrejo pot višjim organizmom.
Human interventions in natural
waters, such as regulations and pollution,
are not always irreversible.
If some species disappear due to
destruction of their living environment,
they may with revitalization
return.
Even in new ecosystems, such as
gravel–pits, accumulations, partly
dried–up marshes or revitalized
aquatic ecosystems, first, tiny algae
colonize the system, preparing life
conditions to higher organisms.
1µm
Navicula lanceolata + Fragilaria ulna
46

Kako vplivajo vodni športi na
občutljivo in za nas nevidno
združbo vodnih alg?
Množično kopanje v jezerih je vsaj
začasen vir onesnaženja vodnega
okolja, zato se vrstni in količinski
sestav alg spremeni.
Tudi rafting in celo kanjoning nista
neškodljiva, saj povzročata fizične
poškodbe rečnega dna, za katere so
drobna bitja občutljiva.
What is the influence of aquatic
sports to the invisible community of
aquatic algae?
Mass bathing in the lakes means at
least temporary pollution of water
environment. As a consequence, the
quality and quantity of algae community
change.
Even rafting, canyoning and similar
sports are not harmless since they
are causing physical injuries to the
river bottom thus affecting tiny sensitive
creatures.
1µm
Anomoeoneis vitrea
48

Kadar se ekosistemi trajno spremenijo,
kot so to primeri izsuševanja
močvirij, visokih barij, gradnja
visokih pregrad in akumulacij na
rekah, so nekatere vrste živih bitij,
med njimi tudi kremenastih alg, za
vedno izgubljene.
Draining of marshes, moors, constructing
high river dames or accumulations
cause permanent changes
of ecosystems. In these cases some
species of living creatures, among
them also diatoms, are lost forever.
1µm
Surirella brebissonii
50

V Sloveniji je zbranih dovolj podatkov
o vrstni pestrosti alg, da lahko
pripravimo seznam redkih in ogroženih
vrst sladkovodnih alg.
Endemičnih vrst diatomej za Slovenijo
doslej nismo našli. Poznamo le
določena mesta z redkimi vrstami.
Čaka pa nas še veliko raziskovalnega
dela. Upamo, da ne bo za
katere od redkih in ogroženih vrst
že prepozno.
In Slovenia, there are enough data
about species diversity of algae
gathered that a red list of rare and
endangered freshwater species could
be prepared.
So far, no endemic diatom species
were found in Slovenia. However,
particular sites with rare species are
known.
There is still a lot of research work
needed. Let us hope that for some
rare and endangered species it will
not be too late.
1µm
Navicula lanceolata (detajl)
52

Fosilne diatomeje, pravzaprav njihova
kremenasta ogrodja, sestavljajo
debele usedline — diatomejsko
zemljo, iz katere izdelujejo čistila
in barve, pripomočke za filtriranje
bazenske in pitne vode, vina, piva
in drugih tekočin.
Prav lahko ste popili kozarec vina,
ki je steklo skozi filter fosilnih diatomej,
si nato umili zobe z zobno
pasto, pripravljeno iz diatomejske
zemlje in se zapeljali z avtom, ki
ga poganja gorivo diatomejskega
izvora. Toda tudi fosilne diatomeje
so omejen naravni vir.
Fossil diatoms, as a matter of fact,
their silica frustules, form geological
deposit, called diatomaceous earth
or diatomite, which is widely used in
production of cleansers, paints and
filtering aids for swimming pools,
drinking water, wine, beer etc.
You may well drink a glass of wine,
which was filtered with the aid of
fossil diatoms. Brush your teeth with
toothpaste, to which diatoms were
added. And drive with your car
using biofuel of diatomaceous origin.
1µm
Surirella brebissonii + Navicula lanceolata
54

Alfred Nobel, švedski kemik in
izumitelj, je odkril, da sicer eksploziven
in nevaren nitroglicerin
postane precej manj občutljiv, če ga
zmeša z zmletimi fosilnimi algami
— diatomejsko zemljo.
Nobel je mešanico patentiral leta
1867. Človeštvo je dobilo dinamit.
Alfred Nobel, Swedish chemist and
innovator, discovered nitroglycerine
was safer to handle when combined
with fossil algae — diatomaceous
earth.
Nobel has patented mixture in the
year 1867. The dynamite was born.
1µm
Cymbella silesiaca
56

Reka sedmerih imen, Ljubljanica,
gosti izjemno razkošno
biodiverziteto.
Bogato porečje sestavljajo pritoki
iz cerkniškega in pivškega zaledja,
kraški podzemni svet s Planinsko
in Postojnsko jamo, številni izviri,
ponori in bruhalniki. Ljubljansko
barje je njen zadnji neukrotljiv
poskus prestopanja meja struge,
nato se ob prestolnici umiri in
kmalu zatem izlije v Savo.
Stara struga Ljubljanice / Old bed of Ljubljanica River
“The River of seven names”,
Ljubljanica, hosts extremely rich
biodviersity.
A very diverse river basin consists
of the tributaries of the hinterland
of Cerknica and Pivka, of the karst
underground world with Planinska
jama (cave) and Postojnska jama
(cave), of numerous springs, sinks
and vent–holes. Ljubljana moors
is river’s last untamed attempt to
overstep its riverbed bounds before
calming down, running through the
capital and falling soon into River
Sava.
1µm
Nitzschia sp. (detajl)
58

Čudovita raznolikost povodja Ljubljanice
nudi najbolj različne in
posebne življenjske prostore vodnim,
jamskim in drugače na vodo
vezanim vrstam živali in rastlin —
tudi diatomejam.
Vsaj dve tretjini od okrog 500 vrst
kremenastih alg iz slovenskega
»šifranta« alg, ki ga uporabljamo za
vrednotenje kakovosti voda, živi v
porečju Ljubljanice.
Vrstna pestrost, s katero se kiti le
malokatera evropska reka, priča o
dobri ohranjenosti vodnega ekosistema
reke s sedmerimi imeni.
A wonderful diversity of the Ljubljanica
River basin offers the highest
variety and special habitats for
aquatic, spelean and other water–
dependant species of animals and
plants — also for diatoms.
At least two thirds of about 500
diatom species from Slovenian list
of algae used for determining water
quality are living in the Ljubljanica
River basin.
This huge biodiversity, which only
few European rivers are hosting, is
demonstrating a very high quality
of water ecosystem called “River of
Seven Names”.
1µm
Surirella brebissonii
60

Vode povezujejo
Leto 2013 je Generalna skupščina
Združenih narodov razglasila za
Mednarodno leto sodelovanja na
področju voda. Temu je namenjen
tudi letošnji svetovni dan voda, 22.
marec.
Številne akcije, mednarodne, nacionalne
in lokalne, so že bile namenjene
vodi, najpomembnejšemu
naravnemu viru.
Izobraževale so, ozaveščale, spodbujale
primere preudarnega ravnanja
z vodnimi viri. Letos vode povezujejo.
Bomo tokrat uspešnejši?
Water connects
United Nations General Assembly
declared year 2013 as the United
Nations International Year of Water
Cooperation. The 2013 World Water
Day, which will take place on 22 nd
March 2013, is also dedicated to water
cooperation.
Numerous actions on international,
national and local levels were dedicated
to water, the most important
natural resource.
They were educating, rising public
awareness, supported and stimulated
wise use of water resources. This
year water connects. Will it be more
successful this time?
1µm
Surirella brebissonii (detajl)
62

Nesporna kraljica razstave – alga
ali čipka?
Undisputed queen of the exhibition
— an alga or a lace?
1µm
Thalassiosira weissflogii
64

Podatki o razstavi / Data about the exhibition
RAZSTAVA Razkrita čudesa reke / EXHIBITION The Revealed River Wonders
Biotska pestrost diatomej porečja Ljubljanice / The biodiversity of diatoms in the Ljubljanica River basin
Razstavo je pripravil LUTRA, Inštitut za ohranjanje naravne dediščine v okviru projekta LIFE AQUAVIVA – Živa voda od biodiverzitete do pipe (LIFE10 INF/SI/000135) in v sodelovanju z Nacionalnim inštitutom za biologijo (NIB).
The exhibition was prepared by LUTRA, Institute for Conservation of Natural Heritage, in the framework of the project LIFE AQUAVIVA – Live Water – from Biodiversity to the Tap (LIFE10 INF/SI/000135) and in cooperation with the National Institute
of Biology (NIB).
Koordinatorica projekta / Project coordinator: Marjana Hönigsfeld Adamič (Inštitut LUTRA)
Priprava in izbor vzorcev / Preparation and selection of samples: dr. Gorazd Kosi (NIB)
Mikrografije z vrstičnim elektronskim mikroskopom na Oddelku za biologijo Biotehniške fakultete Univerze v Ljubljani je izdelal dr. Kazimir Drašlar.
Micrographs on Scanning electron microscope (SEM) in the Department of Biology / Biotechnical faculty/University of Ljubljana performed by Dr. Kazimir Drašlar.
Besedila / Texts: Marjana Hönigsfeld Adamič in Gorazd Kosi
Grafično oblikovanje in priprava za tisk / Graphic design and print preparation: Zvone Kosovelj
Tisk razstavnih panojev / Print of the exhibition boards: HOPA d.o.o.
www.aquaviva.si
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Katalog razstave in kaj vse so lahko diatomeje / A catalogue of the exhibition and what the diatoms can be
Urednica / Editor: Marjana Hönigsfeld Adamič
Mikrografije / Micrographs: Dr. Kazimir Drašlar
Fotografije / Photo: Jošt Stergaršek (strani 4, 5, 6, 14), Tatjana Gregorc (strani 10, 13, 15), Gorazd Kosi (str. 25), Jani Peternelj (str. 16), Peter Giodani (str. 18), Oskar Karel Dolenc (str. 23), Davorin Tome (str. 58)
Fotografije DRAŽ poletje 2014 DIATOMEA / Photo DRAŽ summer 2014 DIATOMEA; čevlji / shoes Alpina Fashion. Fotografije ljubljanskega tedna mode 2013: arhiv Adria Media Ljubljana / Photo of Fashion week Ljubljana 2013 by courtesy
of Adria Media Ljubljana.
Grafično oblikovanje / Graphic design: Studio Kosovelj, Zvonko Kosovelj s.p.
Tisk / Print: Atelje za črko in sliko, Dušan Antolin s.p.
Založnik / Published by: LUTRA, Inštitut za ohranjanje naravne dediščine, Ljubljana, 2014
Naklada / Edition: 2000
Sofinancirano s pomočjo finančnega instrumenta za okolje Evropske skupnosti — LIFE+. / Co–financed by the European Community’s Financial Instrument for Environment LIFE+.
www.lutra.si
www.nib.si
Partnerja projekta LIFE / Partners of the LIFE project:
Inštitut za vode RS / Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia
HOPA d.o.o. / HOPA Co.
Sofinancerja projekta LIFE / LIFE Project co–financiers:
Holding Slovenske elektrarne d.o.o. Ministrstvo za okolje in prostor / Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning
Turizem Ljubljana / Ljubljana Tourist Board Mestna občina Ljubljana
CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji
Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana
582.261(497.4Ljubljanica)(083.824)
RAZKRITA čudesa reke : biotska pestrost diatomej porečja Ljubljanice :
katalog razstave In kaj vse so lahko diatomeje = The revealed river wonders : the
biodiversity of diatoms in the Ljubljanica river basin : a catalogue of the exibition
And what the diatoms can be / [urednica Marjana Hönigsfeld Adamič ; mikrografije
Kazimir Drašlar ; fotografije Jošt Stergaršek ... et al.]. - Ljubljana : Lutra, Inštitut za
ohranjanje naravne dediščine, 2014
ISBN 978-961-91066-8-6
1. Vzp. stv. nasl. 2. Hönigsfeld Adamič, Marjana
276810240
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